Page 6 of Four Firemen For Christmas

She walked backward, never taking her eyes off me except to look at Samuel, who stood leaning against the fire truck with all his muscles on display. Two could play that game. I winked at Emma and had the pleasure of watching her blush again.

Once she turned on her heel, I held her number up in my right hand and flicked it with my left. “Guess I win.”

Samuel pushed off from the truck and swaggered over. I’d never seen him back down from a challenge, but I’d won this one fair and square.

“Nice of you to share with me.” He eyed the paper, his eyes crinkling at the corners when he smiled.

“I’m not sharing.“ I shoved his hand away before he could grab the paper.

Samuel let out a whistle. “Better call her before I do. Because I don’t plan on waiting.”

3

EMMA

This was probably a terrible idea, but it was too late to back out now. I’d tossed and turned all night thinking about the fire and the firefighters I met yesterday. When I did sleep, I dreamed of the fire. A few times, I woke up in a cold sweat, certain that I was burning alive.

My heart hadn’t raced this much since the last time I got laid… which was a lot longer ago than I wanted it to be.

I never really had trouble sleeping, so the fact that I couldn’t get comfortable annoyed the shit out of me. I kept thinking about Derek.

Hot and bothered didn’t even begin to describe how I’d felt lying there in my bed all alone. It had gotten so bad that I’d finally dragged out my little purple vibrator, hoping to get some relief. It helped for a while, but now that morning broke through and spilled sunlight across my little apartment, he was still on my mind.

I pulled the last batch of cookies from the oven and set them on a rack to cool. I couldn’t shake the men from my head. Derek took up the most space, but that older firefighter had been impressive. I’d had a moment of insanity standing there watching him where I imagined myself climbing him like a tree and sinking onto his massive cock.

Of course, the cock was one of my own inventions since his suit covered him enough that I couldn’t get even the slightest peek at their junk. I imagined they were all well-endowed though. It had suited my dreams as I got off on my vibrator while thinking of them.

I’d thanked the firefighters yesterday, but that wasn’t a personal enough touch. I wanted them to know I was very thankful to be alive. And if I happened to run into Derek again, well that was just fate then wasn’t it. Hell. I had to stop thinking about him or I’d end up back in bed with my vibrator again. The thought teased me, and I took a step toward the bedroom. Who would know or care other than myself?

I grinned and then scrunched my nose when I spotted specks of flour dotting my shirt and shorts. Baking in my pajamas was a first and served as further proof that I had it bad for Derek. I hoped he’d call. It wouldn’t be today. I knew better than that. Men like Derek didn’t let themselves seem desperate. He’d wait at least a day.

Good God, I didn’t think I could last much longer than that. Which was part of the reason I wanted to swing by the fire station. I didn’t have anything else to do today other than go out and look for a job. Plus, Derek told me to stop by sometime. He said he’d“show me the fire truck.”I wasn’t sure what that meant, but it sounded dirty. He definitely had a hose I’d like to polish.

Ugh. I was horny again and there’s nothing left to distract me except to take a shower while I waited for the cookies to cool.

“Take a shower. Deliver cookies. Find a job.” I ticked off each task on my fingers and headed into my bedroom. The rumpled covers begged for me to crawl back into bed and sleep the day away. My vibrator waited for me under the covers too. It wouldn’t take long. I knew my body too well, what I liked and what got me off the fastest. I eyed the clock and groaned. Nope. I refused to give in and yanked open my closet door. What did a woman wear to a fire station?

I discarded the red dress immediately. I always saved it for special occasions. And even though I’d offered to wear it for Derek, I wasn’t about to show up dressed like I wanted to fuck.

God knew I wanted him. My stomach clenched with a sudden need that soaked my panties. I needed a good lay in the worst way. Another dress caught my eye, and I considered it for a minute before I moved on to jeans and a cute sweater that flattered my figure. Those types of clothes were hard to come by, so I’d filled my closet with all that I found over the years.

An hour and a half later, after a shower and another less-than-satisfying, self-induced orgasm, I fluffed my hair and left the bedroom.

The kitchen smelled of chocolate chip cookies, and I closed my eyes and inhaled. Firefighters loved home-baked goods, right? I didn’t give myself time to second guess it but grabbed the nearest travel container and layered the cookies inside. Once I’d snapped the lid on tight and tugged on my pink peacoat, it was time to go. I double-checked my pockets for my phone and wallet, then tucked the cookies under my arm and locked the door behind me.

The hallway was quiet, and I paused to look up and down the long corridor. It looked like always. The same beige carpet stretched in both directions. All the doors were closed and nothing seemed out of place. I frowned and shifted the container of cookies to my other hand. Where was Mrs. Rosenberg? She always left this time of the morning. Maybe she’d stayed overnight at her son’s house.

I shrugged off the nervousness and forced my feet to move. The carpet muffled my steps until I reached the elevator and stepped inside. I loved the clop-clop of my boots and smiled at my distorted reflection in the shiny doors. A good pair of boots made a bad day better without fail.

The elevator jolted and my stomach pitched with the jerky movement. I cursed Mr. Thomas under my breath. The landlord had been promising to get the elevator checked out for months. I worried I’d get stuck in it one of these days, but I didn’t like taking the stairs because the door often got stuck, which meant I had to climb back up until I found a door that would open. It wasn’t ideal by any means, but it was what I could afford. And I liked the neighborhood.

A bell dinged and the elevator doors opened halfway before they stuck with barely enough room for me to squeeze through. Irritated at the inconvenience, I stopped when I was free of the elevator death trap and checked myself over.

If I was going to find a job today, I needed to make a good impression.

“Emma.” Mr. Thomas stuck his head out of his office door and waved at me. “Got a minute?”

“I’m in a bit of a rush.” I hefted the cookies as an excuse and tried to barge past him.

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